The Werps - Shades of Blue (2020)

Recorded in strip mall barbershop in New Jersey in 1967, the mysterious Werps—Clark McAvoy, James Serenko, John Matzko, and a long forgotten “Paul” on drums—cut their garage punk ripper “Loves A Fire” for Eugene Viscione’s WGW imprint and promptly disappeared. In addition to the flip “Shades of Blue” and “Voodoo Doll” (which recently appeared on our Louis Wayne Moody High LP), The Werps laid down the instrumental “Car Hop” and three alternate takes on “Fire.” Horns, no horns, slow, fast… Geno and the boys tried ‘em all, with varying degrees of success. A fascinating portrait of a band trying to figure their shit out with the clock running, Shades of Blue collects almost every known minute of tape The Werps every squealed, stomped, or screamed over.